In his previous life, he had already gotten used to being alone.
He took on any job that could make money; he had no other choice and no room to breathe. Even in the quiet of the night, he didn't dare break down by himself because he had to get up and keep running the next day.
He couldn't stop.
If he stopped for even a moment, the last bit of strength he was desperately holding on to might crumble, and he would never be able to stand up or keep going again.
If he collapsed, what would his mother do? How would they continue to live?
Ten years. Fifteen years.
Those days of trudging through the darkness were so long, too long—he just ran numbly, using the inertia of moving forward to barely maintain the status quo of life. Time lost its meaning. His past life seemed like another world. He forgot the brilliant days, forgot what happiness felt like—
He couldn't, and didn't dare, to be happy.
Everything was on pause.
That's why he was stunned when he heard Lucas's matter-of-fact words.
He didn't even know how to respond.
He was at a loss.
Noticing his brother's silence, Lucas instinctively looked over, his normally expressionless face showing a hint of concern, calling out softly.
"Anson?"
Anson, still dazed, reflexively turned toward the sound. "Hmm?"
Lucas's brows furrowed slightly. "Are you feeling troubled? If you don't want to do this, it's okay to quit and go back to school."
School?
All that felt so far away, like it was from a past life—
Right, it was indeed from a past life.
He now had a second chance, a chance to start anew.
This time, he wanted to make the most of it.
Lifting his gaze to look at Lucas, that usually expressionless face showed some concern as he quietly looked back. Although Anson still wasn't quite used to it, he could feel the bond deep within his soul and the sincere care, causing a subtle shift in his mindset.
Maybe he didn't need to face the Wood family with a defensive attitude.
"You know what? The director praised me a lot today and even gave me more scenes." In his mind, Anson thought he should say this in a bragging, arrogant, over-the-top way to create a comedic effect, but when he actually spoke, it came out much simpler.
Lucas, on the other hand, seemed a bit unaccustomed to it. "Isn't that just natural? In anything, as long as you put your heart into it, you always do your best."
He said this as if it were the most obvious thing, then shifted his tone. "But I'm serious. If you don't like it, there's no need to force yourself to keep going."
Such simple words, yet they conveyed complete support. This time, Anson didn't joke around or avoid the topic; instead, he nodded gently.
"Okay."
He said.
Maybe happiness isn't difficult, or at least it's not as difficult as he imagined—
Sometimes, it's just a bag of chips; sometimes, it's a visit; sometimes, it's a word of encouragement.
That's already enough.
Anson's lips curved up slightly, and then he popped two more chips into his mouth to hide his light smile. He still needed some time to adjust. He glanced at Lucas out of the corner of his eye, a bit stiff as he changed the subject, "And you? How's work going?"
Lucas looked surprised and gazed quietly at Anson.
Anson felt uneasy. His heart skipped a beat. Did he slip up and say something he shouldn't have?
With an unruffled tone, Lucas said, "Ah, Anson has grown up; he actually knows how to care about others now."
"If Mom knew, she'd definitely be moved to tears, then give you a big hug, exclaiming that our Anson has finally grown up. Next time someone says the little guy in our family is aimless, Mom would roll up her sleeves and punch them back directly."
---
Teasing, obviously, this is teasing.
Anson: ...
He glanced at Lucas with a face full of speechlessness. After a brief emotional fluctuation, he regained some composure and immediately counterattacked, "There's no choice. If a certain blockhead who doesn't understand romance doesn't cooperate with Mom's performance, and if I do the same, that would be too pitiful for Mom."
Lucas: ...
Anson tilted his head slightly and looked over, "So, how about taking a course on how to act cute in front of Mom?"
Lucas: Just kill me.
"Haha." Anson showed no mercy and mercilessly laughed at Lucas, imagining Lucas acting cute was simply too funny to stop.
But Anson was smart and knew when to stop. Before Lucas could explode, he quickly changed the topic, "I'm serious. How is your work progressing? I think maybe I should start learning about investments. After all, it's a waste to let those acting fees just sit in the bank."
Anson was indeed serious—
Having lived a life of working hard in his past life, Anson truly understood that relying solely on banks, saving money, and being frugal would never make one rich. The real way to make money is to use money to make more money—through investments, stocks, financial management, entrepreneurship, and so on.
Of course, for ordinary people, there's risk involved. After all, the stock market is a meat grinder, with a slim chance of survival.
But Anson was different.
In fact, in his past life, Anson knew little about investing and finance. At first, he didn't need to know, and later, there was no need to know. Even with his rebirth, he couldn't suddenly become an investment guru.
But he wouldn't miss out on major events in the tide of times. Even if he knew nothing about investment and finance, he should still know not to miss out on tech giants, social networks, new energy, streaming media, cryptocurrencies, and not to forget the real estate bubble of 2008.
He didn't need to take risks.
But the problem was, he was a liberal arts student who had never studied investment or management. Although he had a "foreknowledge" information treasure trove in his mind, he didn't know how to put it to use. He needed a true professional to turn his knowledge into numbers in a bank account.
Right in front of him was a suitable candidate.
However...
Anson wasn't planning to rush things. Otherwise, he might accidentally reveal his "alien" nature. Nor was he planning to put all his eggs in one basket. There was plenty of time in the future for him to proceed carefully and steadily.
Moreover, the payment for "The Princess Diaries" hadn't arrived yet. He currently had limited cash flow, so there was no need to rush to get everything in place at once.
He should start with the initial accumulation.
Today, he was just planting some seeds.
However.
Even if they were just seeds, it was still a surprise for Lucas, a real surprise—
This time, he carefully observed Anson for a while, not hiding the curiosity in his eyes.
Anson, who had grown up doing whatever he wanted, seemed to have really matured.
Lucas felt a bit gratified, but also a little sad.
It seemed that Anson had indeed learned something in Hollywood, though what kind of grievances he had experienced remained unknown. After all, that place was a cutthroat fame and fortune battlefield.
Lucas's eyes flickered slightly, "If you didn't say anything, I would have thought you'd been replaced by someone else, taken over by an alien, completely changing your appearance."
Anson: ... Help.
End of the first part.